Safety-valve



A. D. PUPFER.

(No Model.)

SAFETY VALVE. No. .z5-4,368.2 Patented Feb.28,1882.

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ALVIN D. PUFFER, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,368,` dated February 28, 1882.

Application filed November 25, 1881. (No model.)

To all, whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALVIN I). PUFFER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Valves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which ty-valves for steam-boilers, soda-water genery ators, and other uses, the object of this invention being, rst,to enable the lever of the valve to be adjusted horizontally, in order that its position with respect to the generator or other object to which it is applied may be varied according to circumstances, and I accomplish 4this result by pivoting the lever at its base to an upright standard or bracket which is swiveled horizontally to a coupling that makes con-v nection with the interior of the generator, a

set-screwor its equivalent being employed to vmake the standard fast when the desired positionhas been attained; second, to enablethe Valve to be readily and quickly removed from over its seat for the purpose of cleaning the outlet port or passage leading from the gener- 'seat third, to enable the valve to rise and fall in a vertical path-that is, strictly at right angles to its seat, and not in an arc of a circle- .and I accomplish this by the employment ofa valve consisting of an upright cylinder guided in bearings extending laterally over the val veseat from the upper part of the standard, to which the .lever is pivoted and slotted vertically to receive the lever, which is fulcrumed to it in such manner that while the lever rises and falls in the arc of a circle it shall move the valve in a vertical path; fourth, to permit of the necessary rise and fall of the lever and valve with as little friction between the two as possible, and this I effect by the employment of a fulcrum or pivot composed of an upright vibrating or swinging rod or bar pointed at both ends and stepped at bottom in a pocket in the bottom of the slotin the valve, through Awhich the lever passes, the upper end of the said pivot supporting the weight of the lever, and prevented from escape by entering a pocket'in the under side of the lever.

A fifth minor feature in these improvements consists in the employment of a screw passing vertically through the upper end of the valve and into its slot, and terminating at its lower end directly above the lever in line with the vibrating pivot or fulcrum before named, the object of the regulating-screw being on the one hand to prevent accidental separation of the lever and pivot and escape of the latter, and on the other hand to permit the lever to be lifted sufficiently` high to permit of removal of the pivot should occasion require.

The drawings accompanying this specification represent, in Figure 1, a vertical section 5 in Fig. 2, elevation of stop-pin, and Fig.3 elevation of valve.

Referring to the above-named drawings, the reader will see that A represents a hollow coupling or boss, which is to make connection with the interior of a generator inl manner that will be at once understood, thisboss rising upward intoacolumn orstandard, the extreme upper part, B,of which constitutes the valve-seat of the apparatus, the interior or bore of the boss A being contracted to a small aperture, C, as it approaches such seat.

D in said drawings represents an upright bracket or standard, composed of a vertical bar, a, and lateral horizontal arms b c d, the two upper of such arms-viz., b c-extending over the valve-seat B, while the lower one, d, has a circular opening, which incloses the upper part or neck e, of the boss Ain such manner that the entire bracket or standard is capable of rotating about such boss. The body c of the bracket D is formed in two parts,f g, the upper, f, containing thearms b c, before named, and being swiveled to the lower part, g, in such manner as to be susceptible of moving to one side of or above the valve-seat B.

The swivel or hinge between the parts f g IOC) - of the bracket may be of variousl forms. As shown in the present instance it is composed of a vertical tenon, h, extending from the under side of the upper portion, f, and entering 5 a socket, '5, in the lower portion, g, by which means the upper portion of the bracket and the valve and lever carried by it may be swung to one side of the valve-seat and allow ready access to be had to the latter, should occasion re- Io quire, for purposes of cleansing or otherwise.

Asuitable stop-puny', is to be combined with the tenon h, operating with a notch, 7c, in the lower portion, g, of the bracket to determine the extentof movementof thevalve away from its seat in one direction, and to insure itsjuxv taposition with such seat when in position to close the opening'G.

Amodilication of thejoint between the parts f and g of the bracket would be a horizontal zo hinge between the two, which would permit the portion fand the valve and lever carried byit to be raised in the are of a circle above the valve-seat to permit of access to the latter; or the tenon h may be adapted to permit the part fto rise and fall in avertical path to permit of n separation of the valve and' seat.

, I do not restrict myself to any precise form of joint between the two parts of the standard.

. It frequently happens in applying safety- 3o valves to generators and other vessels that the levermust be placed in a certain position or direction to accommodate it to certain pipes, connections, 8vo. As it is uncertain in ordinary valves in what position the lever will stand when the brass coupling A is screwed home, no certainty can be previously had that the leverwill stand in the right position ofthe lever after the connection is made. It cannot be done, except by loosening the coupling or 4o adding a thickness of washers, until the desired position is attained with the coupling screwed home.

By swiveling the bracket horizontally to the boss A, as stated, I am enabled to vary the position of the bracket after the connection with the generator has been made, and arrange thevalve-leverin any desired position to avoid or accommodate it to various pipes, connections, &c., and a set-screw,p,is to be added to 5o the arm d to secure the lever permanently in place when its desired position is ascertained. One modication of the open arm or ring-support d would be a pair of curved spring'jaws extending from the standard D and embrac ing the neck e ofthe boss, the ends of these jaws having a clamp-screw,by which theymay be tightly clamped about such neck.

The valve is shown at E as being in the present instance a straight cylinder or bar 6o disposed vertically over and covering the port C, this valve sliding freely in bearings in ,the

ends of the arms b c before named, and rising and falling with respect to the valve-seat B in a vertical plane at right angles to the latter.

The valve-lever is shown at F as pivoted at its base by a horizontal pivot, a/, to the upper part of the standard D, and passes horizontally through a long vertical slot, 7c, in the valve E, and is weighted as usual. The lever F is to be provided with scales of divisions and notches, after the manner of scale-beams, and these scales of divisions may be several in number, according to the varying pressures within thel generator to which the valve is applied. For instance, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, which is a side view of the lever, one scale may be employed for generators of machines for bottling aerated waters, another for generators or receivers of apparatus for filling siphons with soda-water, another for generators or fountains of soda-water apparatus, Sto.

The connection between the lever and valve" before named is a novel and useful one. It consists of a vertical pivot or pin, Z, pointed at both ends and located in the lower part ofthe slot 7c of the valve E, and stepped at bottom in a pocket, m, in the bottom of said slot, while at its upper end the pivot l sustains the weight of the lever. rlihe lever F under the iuctuations of the valve rises and falls in the arc of a circle of which its pivot a. is the center, while the valve E rises and falls in a vertical plane of movement. rIhe discrepancy between the movements is compensated for by the pivot l, which vibrates upon its lower pivot with the minimum of friction.

To prevent the lever F from lifting suiciently high to permit of accidental escape of the pivot Z, I employ a screw, n, which passes through the top of the valve and into its slot k, and terminates at its lower end immediately -above the lever F. When it is desired for any reason to remove the pivot Z the screw n isto be raised far enough to permit the lever to be lifted the necessary distance.

A substitute for the screw would be an eccentric pivoted to the upper part of the yoke and adapted to approach closely to or recede from the top of the lever, as occasion required; or a'slidin g block contained in a vertical passage in the arm b above the lever and slotted to receive a horizontal wedge supported in a recess or channel in the said arm b may be employed to exert the desired control over the' lever in lieu of the screw n.

I claim- 1. In combination with a valve-seat and safety-valve, an operating-lever and its support, said lever, valve, and support being adapted to turn horizontally for the purpose of removing said valve from said valve-seat.

2. In combination with a safety-valve and valve-seatand the operatin g-lever, the fixed part g of the supportingbracket and the partf of said bracket, which is pivoted in part g and adapted to turn laterally, carrying the lever and valve away from the valve-seat, substantially as stated.

3. In combination with a val ve-seat and safety-valve and the operating-.lever for the latter, a supporting-bracket consisting of fixed part g, pivoted part f, and a screw whereby said IOO IIO

IIS

parts f and g may be locked together or released at will.

4. In safety-valves containingavertical dropvalve and a horizontal lever controlling the same, the valve as composed of a cylinder orA bar slotted to receive the lever and moving in a vertical plane, and connected with the lever by a joint, which permits the latter to move in the arc of a circle without disturbing the valve in its strictly vertical pulsations.

5. In combination with a notched safety-valve and lever, apivot or rod, l, pointed at both ends and setting into said valve and lever, and the screw n, which prevents said lever from separating too far from said valve.

6. The general physical structure of the entire valve consisting of the hollow base or coupling, by which connection is made with the gen- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 3o presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN D. PUFFER.

Witnesses H. E. LODGE, F. CURTIS. 

